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Alejandro (song)
|album = The Fame Monster |previous = "Bad Romance" |next = "Monster" }} "Alejandro" is a song written by Lady Gaga and RedOne in 2009, for The Fame Monster. The song was released as a digital download, along with "Dance in the Dark" as a promotional single on the United Kingdom's iTunes, as part of the count down for the album release. The song was released as the third international single. The song was a huge success commercially. It peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100. Background The song was written while they were in Amsterdam and Ibiza during the summer of 2009 according to RedOne. The violin solo played at the beginning of the song is an adaptation of the main melody of the only famous work of Vittorio Monti: Csárdás (or Czardas). In fact, the song progression is not entirely unlike that of a traditional Csárdás, starting slowly at first and ending with a fast tempo. With this particular song, she stated "I'm saying goodbye to all my past boyfriends..". In an interview, Gaga said that each of her songs written for The Fame Monster were all influenced by a monster. The monsters all take place in each song; for example, "Alejandro" was influenced by her "Fear of Men Monster". She confirmed this monster in an interview On the Record with Fuse. In the song, 'Alejandro' represents Alexander McQueen, 'Fernando' represents Fernando Garibay, one of the producers she worked with on the album and for The Monster Ball Tour, and 'Roberto' represents Rob Fusari, an old producer and ex-boyfriend. The lyrics talk about Gaga defending herself against a "harem" of Latin men and has a number of ABBA allusions, including a reference to their 1976 song "Fernando", which Gaga cited as one of her influences. Composition "Alejandro" is a mid-tempo song with heavy europop and disco influences, is an apparent homage to ABBA and Ace of Base. The Ace of Base influences are prominent in the beats of the song, the vocals and the melody and lastly, in Gaga's non-English accent while singing the song. The words are slurred in her mouth while consisting of an uplifting melody. According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Sony/ATV Music Publishing, the song is set in the time signature of common time, with a moderate tempo of 80 beats per minute. It is composed in the key of B minor with Gaga's vocal range spanning from F♯3 to A4. The song has a basic sequence of Bm–D–F♯m–Bm–D–F♯m as its chord progression. Critical reception On November 25, 2009, "Alejandro" debuted on the UK Singles Chart at #75, along with many other tracks from The Fame Monster, due to high digital downloads. Digital downloads also helped give it a top five entry in Hungary at #5, peaking higher than "Poker Face" had. Chris Ryan from MTV called the song a "lush paean to a love that's 'hot like Mexico'." Bill Lamb from About.com commented that the song "is a bit like Madonna's classic "La Isla Bonita" with a contemporary edge." Paul Lester from BBC felt that "Alejandro moves at an Ace of Base pace." Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine also made an Ace of Base connection calling the song a homage to them. Stephen Thomas Erlewine from Allmusic denoted the song as an "updated ABBA revision". Mikael Wood of Los Angeles Times called it bubbly and compared the style to ABBA. Ben Patashnik from NME called the song light-hearted. Jon Dolan from Rolling Stone called it a "loving ABBA spoof". Scott Plagenhoef of Pitchfork Media noted that although "Alejandro" is an ABBA morph, "it comes off very modern, in part because U.S. pop and hip-hop is currently drawing heavily from Europop, hi-NRG, and dance music." Chava Thomas from The Argonaut gave a negative review, saying "'Alejandro' is the one low point on The Fame Monster. The song feels forced, and its Latin beat does not mesh well with Lady Gaga's style." Michael Hubbard of MusicOMH said that "'Alejandro' is brilliantly catchy, deceptively simple and wonderfully melancholy." Evan Sawdey from PopMatters said that Gaga's vocals sounded like those of Shakira's, in the chorus of the song. Sarah Hajibagheri from The Times called the song "painful Latino warble and a would-be Eurovision reject." "Alejandro" received the most votes for the summer anthem on Fuse: Where Music Loves, hosted a "Hottest Summer Songs Poll". References in popular culture *The song was featured in the "Mulholland" episode of Melrose Place which aired on March 23, 2010. *It was featured on a commercial for the grand final of So You Think You Can Dance (Australia). *On June 1, 2010, Larry King Live had Lady Gaga as a guest star. A preview of the music video for "Alejandro" was played in the background, with a mixture of the music videos of "Just Dance", "Poker Face", "LoveGame", "Paparazzi", "Bad Romance", and "Telephone". Also throughout the episode, there were headlines stating, "ALEJANDRO MUSIC VIDEO PREVIEW". Commercial release "Alejandro" is the third single from The Fame Monster. When Gaga Daily was asked about this in January of 2010, they stated it was just a rumor. It was officially announced to be true later that year during an interview with Nova FM in Melbourne. On April 4, 2010, Lady Gaga tweeted that she has heard Alejandro on the radio. According to Perez Hilton, he tweeted "It's going to be the summer of Alejandro, as that song has been chosen to be Gaga's 3rd single off her "Fame Monster" album. Arriba!" On April 12, 2010, a rumor started spreading, stating that "Dance in the Dark" would be released as the third single in Australia, as opposed to "Alejandro". However, "Alejandro" was kept as the third Australian single. The single was officialy sent to US radio stations on April 20, 2010. On June 19th, 2010, Gaga Daily said that “Alejandro” is the final single off The Fame Monster, however "Dance in the Dark" was sent to radios in Australia, New Zealand and France. Physical release France (274403-5) United Kingdom (2744129) Germany (0602527455587) United States — The Remixes (B0014501-22) United Kingdom (2744130) ;Side A (45RPM) ;Side B (33RPM) Lady Gaga's Webstore Three bundle packs were released. *Prayer Candle Reading: No llame mi nombre Alejandro (Translation: Do not call my name, Alejandro) *Red Rose Ring *T-shirt Reading: No llame me nombre Alejandro (Translation: Do not call my name, Alejandro) *The option of either: **The physical EP single **The MP3 **Without the single. (Only merchandise) Remixes *Afrojack Remix — 4:48 *Bimbo Jones Remix — 6:40 *Bimbo Jones Radio Edit — 3:19 *Bimbo Jones Dub — 5:33 *Bimbo Jones Vocal Mix) — 6:42 *Chew Fu Club Remix — 5:21 *Dave Audé Club Mix — 7:15 *Dave Audé Dub — 6:30 *Dave Audé Mixshow — 6:07 *Dave Audé Radio Edit — 3:52 *Electrolightz Remix — 3:57 *Kim Fai Remix — 7:20 *Kleerup Remix — 5:22 *Rusko's Papuseria Remix — 3:53 *Skrillex Remix — 5:49 *Skrillex Extended Remix — 6:17 *The Sound of Arrows Remix — 3:57 Performances Tabs Live= Table |-|Television= Table |-|Web= Table |-|Radio= Table |-|Tour= Table Lyrics Music video "Alejandro" is the music video for Lady Gaga's third single off the The Fame Monster. The video was filmed on April 30, 2010 by fashion photographer Steven Klein. It was revealed by Gaga on May 28, 2010 during her UK leg of The Monster Ball Tour in Birmingham that the video was to be released on May 31, 2010. The premiere, however, was later annouced officially to be June 7, 2010. Despite this, the video was pushed a further day and finally premiered on Gaga's official website on June 8, 2010 at 5pm (GMT) via YouTube. The music video garnered just under 25 million views on YouTube within three weeks of its release, making it the first video in the history of YouTube to do so. Development After confirming that Klein was directing her video, Gaga explained that she "doesn't know what video is going to look like until it's finished", and commented that "Klein is a very good friend of mine and I love him so much, ... I have so much respect for him. And we've been excited to collaborate and have a fashion photographer tell us a story, the story of my music through his lens and this idea of fashion and lifestyle." Gaga explained that Klein understood her "I am what I wear" lifestyle, making him a suitable director for the video. She added, "It's all about where I'm from and love of theater and love of music and love of the lie in art, and Steven really knows and understands that, .... So we're making a beautiful video, and I'm so excited." In May 2010, Gaga told The Times about the concept of the video: "about the purity of my friendships with my gay friends, and how I've been unable to find that with a straight man in my life. It's a celebration and an admiration of gay love—it confesses my envy of the courage and bravery they require to be together. In the video I'm pining for the love of my gay friends—but they just don't want me to be with them." After the release of the video, Gaga spoke about the creative processes that went on during the filming. }} Inspiration Several people, including various media outlets claim that the video is based on Madonna's music video for Vogue; however, this is incorrect. The director, Stephen Klein, developed the video based on his own work from 2009 - a piece entitled "The Stephen Klein Academy", which appeared in W Magazine in August 2009. In the piece, a female model with a close resemblance to Gaga's portrayal of her character in "Alejandro", Lara Stone, dominates over shirtless men with bowl haircuts; the men later appear in suits and army uniforms. Lara Stone, like Gaga, is seen in various positions with the men, standing over them, clearly showing her dominance and control over them. Synopsis Themes and symbolism Gaga's swallowing of the rosary signifies how people just accept and swallow up the doctrine of the church that says being gay is wrong, they adhere to it without question. The German theme - there is something very ominous about the german theme reminiscent of nazi germany; this paired with the reference to the church signify how gay men and women are shunned in todays society by the church, the army and other organizations just as the Jews were by Nazi. The nun outfit Gaga wears signifies how love can be a salvation just as how Christians believe dedicating your life to God can save you. Also, the swallowing of the rosary can signify salvation as well. Release and critical reception Cast *Lady Gaga — Herself *Dancers — Michael Silas, Jeremy Hudson, Mark Kanemura, Benjamin Susak, Cassidy Noblett, Victor Del Campo, JC Carrier, Mike Munich, Casey Johansen, Sean Patrick *Boys — Evandro Soldati, Arkady Fashion credits Scene 1 Lady Gaga - Alejandro (Music video) 001.jpg Lady Gaga - Alejandro (Music video) 002.jpg Boys: Military outfits custom made by Emporio Armani. Scene 2 Lady Gaga - Alejandro (Music video) 003.jpg Lady Gaga - Alejandro (Music video) 004.jpg Lady Gaga - Alejandro (Music video) 005.jpg Boys: Men's high waisted shorts and mask by Haus of Gaga, metal body structures by Dinner, studded glasses by Kerin Rose, and military boots custom made by Emporio Armani. Scene 3 Lady Gaga - Alejandro (Music video) 006.jpg Lady Gaga - Alejandro (Music video) 008.jpg Lady Gaga - Alejandro (Music video) 016.jpg Lady Gaga - Alejandro (Music video) 009.jpg Lady Gaga - Alejandro (Music video) 015.jpg Lady Gaga: Metal headpiece by Nasir Mazhar and black cape custom made by Alexander McQueen. Scene 4 Lady Gaga - Alejandro (Music video) 011.jpg Evandro: Studded helmet by Mouton Collet. Scene 5 Lady Gaga - Alejandro (Music video) 010.jpg Lady Gaga - Alejandro (Music video) 014.jpg Lady Gaga - Alejandro (Music video) 007.jpg Lady Gaga - Alejandro (Music video) 012.jpg Lady Gaga: Lace outfit by Alexander McQueen and rose headdress custom made by Philip Treacy for Alexander McQueen. Boys: Military Outfits custom made by Emporio Armani. Scene 6 Lady Gaga - Alejandro (Music video) 017.jpg Boys: Men's high waisted shorts by Haus of Gaga and military boots custom made by Emporio Armani. Scene 7 Lady Gaga - Alejandro (Music video) 046.jpg Lady Gaga - Alejandro (Music video) 024.jpg Lady Gaga - Alejandro (Music video) 019.jpg Lady Gaga - Alejandro (Music video) 018.jpg Lady Gaga - Alejandro (Music video) 035.jpg Lady Gaga - Alejandro (Music video) 036.jpg Lady Gaga - Alejandro (Music video) 047.jpg Lady Gaga - Alejandro (Music video) 048.jpg Lady Gaga: Eed nun outfit custom made by Atsuko Kudo and rosary beads necklace and jewels by Pamela Love. Scene 8 Lady Gaga - Alejandro (Music video) 020.jpg Lady Gaga - Alejandro (Music video) 021.jpg Lady Gaga - Alejandro (Music video) 022.jpg Lady Gaga - Alejandro (Music video) 023.jpg Lady Gaga - Alejandro (Music video) 025.jpg Lady Gaga - Alejandro (Music video) 026.jpg Lady Gaga - Alejandro (Music video) 027.jpg Lady Gaga - Alejandro (Music video) 028.jpg Lady Gaga - Alejandro (Music video) 029.jpg Lady Gaga - Alejandro (Music video) 030.jpg Lady Gaga: Underwear by Calvin Klein, black heels by Christian Louboutin and stockings by Agent Provocateur. Boys: Men's high waisted shorts by Haus of Gaga and military boots custom made by Emporio Armani. (Change) Boys: Black underwear by Calvin Klein and black high heels by Pleaser. Scene 9 Lady Gaga - Alejandro (Music video) 031.jpg Lady Gaga - Alejandro (Music video) 034.jpg Lady Gaga - Alejandro (Music video) 033.jpg Lady Gaga - Alejandro (Music video) 032.jpg Lady Gaga - Alejandro (Music video) 044.jpg Lady Gaga - Alejandro (Music video) 045.jpg Lady Gaga: Rubber outfit custom made by Jaiden rVa James and Night Makers by Noritaka Tatehana. Boys: Men's high waisted shorts by Haus of Gaga and military biits custom made by Emporio Armani. Scene 10 Lady Gaga - Alejandro (Music video) 037.jpg Lady Gaga: Black vest by Dolce & Gabbana, black pants by Francesco Scognamiglio and black high heels by Pleaser. Scene 11 Lady Gaga - Alejandro (Music video) 038.jpg Lady Gaga - Alejandro (Music video) 039.jpg Lady Gaga: Rifle Barrel Bra custom made by David Samuel Menkes, black pants by Francesco Scognamiglio black high heels by Pleaser. Boys: Military outfits custom made by Emporio Armani. Scene 12 Lady Gaga - Alejandro (Music video) 041.jpg Lady Gaga - Alejandro (Music video) 040.jpg AlejandroFashion14 3.jpg Lady Gaga - Alejandro (Music video) 043.jpg Lady Gaga - Alejandro (Music video) 042.jpg Lady Gaga: Leather jacket by Hussein Chalayan, Night Makers by Noritaka Tatehana, panties by Rigby & Peller and vintage sunglasses by Versace. Behind the Scenes :Photography by Jonathan Ho Alejandro storyboard 001.jpg|Storyboard Credits Song Personnel *All instruments played and programmed — RedOne *Vocal arrangement — RedOne and Lady Gaga *Vocal editing — RedOne and Johnny Severin *Recorded — RedOne at FC Walvisch (Amsterdam, ), Sonic Vista Studios (Ibiza, ) on July 24, 2009. *Engineered — RedOne and Eelco Bakker (from FC Walvisch) *Mixed — Robert Orton at Studio 3 of Sarm Studios (London, ) Publishers Music video *Location — Pier59 Studios West *Art director — Matthew Williams *Stylist — Nicola Formichetti *Director — Steven Klein *Producer — Jil Hardin *Production company — HSI Productions *Director of photography — Janusz Kamiński *Colorist — Stefan Sonnenfeld (Company 3) *Lighting direction — Dave Devlin (B2Pro) *Production designer — Gideon Ponte *Executive producer — Coleen Haynes *Editor — Avid Diva (Dustin Robertson) *Finishing — Steele Studios *Colorist — Stefan Sonnenfeld (Company 3) *Telecine producer — Rhubie Jovanov *Label Commissioner — Nicole Ehrlich *Choreographer — Laurieann Gibson *Hair — Eugene Souleiman *Make up — Val Garland *Styling team — Anna Trevelyan, Brandon Maxwell *Set construction — Vision Scenery *Scenic artists — Jon Cummings, Michael Thomas References *''The Fame Monster booklet'' *BMI | Repertoire Search Category:Songs Category:Singles Category:Music videos Category:The Fame Monster songs Category:The Monster Ball Tour songs Category:The Fame Monster singles Category:The Born This Way Ball Tour songs Category:ArtRAVE: The ARTPOP Ball songs Category:Joanne World Tour songs